According to a 2016 consumer survey, one in three Americans has no retirement savings, and 56 percent have less than $10,000 saved. Using longitudinal panel data of 4,800 households in the United States, a Capstone team sought to understand the underlying motivations of why people save. The team examined the savings behavior of people who consistently self-identify as planners or non-planners and savers or spenders-measured by having a savings device as well as the amount of savings. The team's findings indicated that there is a significant difference in savings behavior between planners and non-planners but no difference between savers and spenders, suggesting the planner identity may be a salient force in savings behavior. This analysis contributes to the multi-disciplinary temporal decision-making literature by applying behavioral theory to a vast and longitudinal real-world dataset. The research also has significant implications for policymakers and other actors involved in creating interventions that promote savings behavior.

Health, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood characteristics have well-documented associations. Relatedly, limited healthcare access-typically thought of as a rural issue that can exacerbate health conditions and lead to poorer outcomes-also exists in low-income, urban neighborhoods. Over the past several decades, New York neighborhoods have experienced significant economic transformations resulting in higher rents and costs of living in historically low-income neighborhoods. Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, and Park Slope have become national symbols of gentrification. Despite dramatic neighborhood change, there is a surprising lack of evidence suggesting gentrification has directly displaced low-income residents. A Capstone team explored healthcare and health changes for residents of gentrifying neighborhoods. Using data from the Primary Care Service Area Project, the US Census, and the NYC Community Health Survey, the team created a multi-pronged descriptive analysis to explore changes in healthcare availability, utilization, and health status across New York City through the lens of gentrification.

Considering China's rapid development over the last thirty years, new and distinct financial groups have emerged among China's 1.4 billion residents. A Capstone team explored the Composite Financial Status (CFS)-a measure of overall financial health-of families in China using datasets from the Chinese Household Income Project and the China Family Panel Study. CFS uses a household's income level and asset holdings to gain a robust picture of a household's financial well-being. The four CFS categories include poor, transient poor, transient rich, and rich. The team's research identified the distinctions between the different financial status categories, analyzed demographic characteristics, and explored the personal outcomes associated with membership in each of the categories.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) is one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare delivery systems dedicated to providing the highest quality and most compassionate care and service to patients. NYP recently acquired five regional hospitals located throughout New York, which presented the opportunity to improve the quality of care and scope of services offered at the regional level. The Capstone team reviewed and implemented recommendations to evaluate the opportunity for integration of NYP's nursing practice standards and shared governance across the NYP Regional Hospital Network. The team's research culminated in a report that analyzed best practices of shared governance structures, standardization, and implementation processes at NYP, across the Regional Hospital Network, and with other multi-level hospital network systems.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System (NYP) strives to identify, define, and improve upon the current practices and measures of success while focusing on evidence-based strategies to improve new graduate nurse retention. The NYP New Nurse Residency Program aims to bridge the educational and professional gap between student nurse to successful and competent professional nurse. To measure the effectiveness of the NYP New Nurse Residency Program, the Capstone team gathered data through interviews with key stakeholders, extensive surveying and focus group participation, and observation of current practices and processes. The team also conducted a comprehensive literature review, which resulted in valuable insight into emerging best practices in the field, including other top-ranked academic medical centers. The research culminated in a set of recommendations for NYP that includes the identification of metrics to measure the effectiveness of existing and future programs within the institution and an operational framework aimed at improving processes in the New Nurse Residency Program.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) is one of the leading healthcare institutions in the country. As there is ever-growing regulatory scrutiny on avoidable hospital readmissions and accompanying financial penalties, it is imperative that healthcare institutions focus on closely evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their care coordination process. NYP engaged a Capstone team in evaluating the existing care coordination process for patients diagnosed with heart failure within the NYP/Lawrence Hospital Emergency Department. The team completed an in-depth analysis of the policies, processes, and available resources to provide recommendations for improving efficiency and best practices. In combination with an extensive literature review, the team produced a comparative analysis and recommendations to improve and modify the existing care coordination process at NYP/Lawrence Hospital.

Nurses face a multitude of challenges in today's high-acuity, high-stress healthcare environment, including burnout, compassion fatigue, and bullying. An enhanced capacity for resiliency is essential for nurses to be able to maintain empathy and purpose in their work. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP), one of the nation's largest and most renowned academic medical centers, employs over 6,400 nurses at its six main campuses. NYP is interested in better understanding the barriers to and interventions that build nurse resiliency. NYP enlisted a Capstone team to examine current evidence related to nurse resiliency. The team conducted a literature review and investigated resiliency at similar institutions. The team also explored the lived experience of nurses related to resiliency at two NYP campuses through the utilization of focus groups, a survey, and the analysis of exit interview comments. The team's research culminated in a set of actionable recommendations aimed at building and sustaining nurse resiliency at NYP.

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank evaluates the development effectiveness of the Bank. Climate change and disaster risk pose significant threats to development across the globe. The Capstone team created a learning product on climate risk screening for the IEG to complement the World Bank's development of reference guidelines for climate risk management. The team's work supported the IEG's activities by seeking to evaluate the climate and disaster risk screening process. The team reviewed the projects under the International Development Association portfolio and surveyed Task Team Leaders and other project managers. The team's research culminated in the development of case studies and the identification of risk assessment priorities for projects approved under the risk screening mandate in high-risk sectors.

Dhanbad, known as the Coal Capital of India, is one of the largest industrial towns of Jharkhand State. A proposed loan from the World Bank aims to improve the city's road network and public transport systems. The government of Jharkhand prepared the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Dhanbad, a master urban infrastructure development project. The World Bank South Asian Regional Unit enlisted a Capstone team to review the Comprehensive Mobility Plan and associated project report containing the scope and magnitude of the proposed road improvements. The team traveled to Dhanbad where they conducted multiple site visits and interviews with key stakeholders. The team used the gathered data to identify areas for improvement and advance project goals. The team's research supported the development of innovative initiatives-such as contextual planning, multi-purpose programming, solar lighting, and other urban design solutions-that will help tackle the social and environmental challenges of implementing the Dhanbad Roads project.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) aims to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. To accomplish this, UNFPA works to ensure that all individuals, especially women and young people, can access high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare services so that they can make informed and voluntary choices about their lives. UNFPA enlisted a Capstone team to explore how the UNFPA can enhance its engagement in middle-income countries (MICs) by establishing a new vision and path to Sustainable Development Goal targets. The team conducted desktop research, analyzed program data, interviewed UNFPA officials, and reviewed development strategies to provide recommendations for upstream policy and advocacy engagement in MICs. Rather than taking a universal approach, the team recommended that the UNFPA engage with each MIC differently, specifically by considering the political and cultural environment, to bring about targeted and effective changes. The project contributed to UNFPA's new strategic plan for 2018 - 2021.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Swaziland supports the government in policy areas of poverty alleviation, the provision of equitable social services, and good governance. As a global knowledge network, UNDP advocates for sustainable human development and connects countries to experiences and resources to build better live. The Capstone team assisted UNDP, the larger United Nations Country Team, and Swaziland's government with aligning the country's national development plan and strategies with the global 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The work included researching global best practices for sustainable development initiatives, collecting data on existing work in Swaziland related to the sustainable development goals, and identifying important gaps and challenges in planning and implementing a national development strategy. The team conducted in-depth research on sustainable development initiatives related to health and climate change, which are top priorities in the country. The team's research culminated in an advisory report that showcased a localized monitoring and evaluation framework.

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. In the early 1980s, the Bank established a “sites and services” project in Charkop, Mumbai, India, which aimed to provide incremental, affordable housing solutions to low- and middle-income groups in the region. The project did not achieve the intended outcomes in the timeline initially defined; therefore, the Bank abandoned the approach. The Bank revisited the site 20 years later and observed a flourishing mixed-income and mixed-use neighborhood. As the region considered how to house the next “urban billion”-an urban population of one billion-the Bank enlisted a Capstone team to research the factors that led to the neighborhood's success. The team created a survey protocol and administered it to 60 households in Charkop to understand how physical and administrative design elements contributed to the livability of the neighborhood. The project culminated in a report and an interactive presentation of interview data, which provided insight into the factors that played a role in the development of Charkop.